Roland AX-7
Encyclopedia
Keytar
A keytar is a relatively lightweight keyboard that is supported by a strap around the neck and shoulders, similar to the way a guitar is supported by a strap. Keytars allow players a greater range of movement compared to conventional keyboards, which are placed on stands...
that was manufactured by Roland Corporation
Roland Corporation
is a Japanese manufacturer of electronic musical instruments, electronic equipment and software. It was founded by Ikutaro Kakehashi in Osaka on April 18, 1972, with ¥33 million in capital. In 2005 Roland's headquarters relocated to Hamamatsu in Shizuoka Prefecture. Today it has factories in Japan,...
from 2001 to 2007. This modern instrument contains many more advanced features than early keytars such as its predecessor, the Roland AX-1
Roland AX-1
The Roland AX-1 is a keytar ,produced by Roland, that does not produce its own sounds but controls other devices via MIDI....
, and the Yamaha SHS-10
Yamaha SHS-10
The Yamaha SHS-10 is a keytar manufactured by Yamaha and released in 1987.It has a small-sized keyboard with 32 minikeys and a pitch-bend wheel, vibrato and sustain buttons, an internal Frequency modulation synthesizer offering 25 different voices with 6-note polyphony, two operators, and a very...
. It runs on 6 AA batteries
AA battery
An AA battery is a standard size of battery. Batteries of this size are the most commonly used type of in portable electronic devices. An AA battery is composed of a single electrochemical cell...
or an external power source. It has a 45 velocity sensitive keys (without aftertouch), and a 3-character LED
LEd
LEd is a TeX/LaTeX editing software working under Microsoft Windows. It is a freeware product....
display. Several features aimed towards stage performance are present, such as a pitch bend ribbon, touchpad
Touchpad
A touchpad is a pointing device featuring a tactile sensor, a specialized surface that can translate the motion and position of a user's fingers to a relative position on screen. Touch pads are a common feature of laptop computers, and they are also used as a substitute for a mouse where desk...
-like expression bar, sustain
Sustain
In music, sustain is a parameter of musical sound over time. As its name implies, it denotes the period of time during which the sound remains before it becomes inaudible, or silent.Additionally, sustain is the third of the four segments in an ADSR envelope...
switch, and volume control knob, all on the upper neck of the instrument. There is also a proprietary "D-Beam" interface, made up of infrared
Infrared
Infrared light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength longer than that of visible light, measured from the nominal edge of visible red light at 0.74 micrometres , and extending conventionally to 300 µm...
sensors that detect nearby motion.
In 2007 the Roland AX-7 was discontinued and is succeeded by the Roland AX-Synth
Roland AX-Synth
The Roland AX-Synth is a keytar that is manufactured by Roland Corporation, and was released in late August 2009. This modernized instrument builds on the features of its predecessor, the Roland AX-7. The most notable change is the addition of an internal synthesizer...
since 2009.
MIDI Functionality
This instrument functions as a MIDI controller; it produces MIDI messages that are sent to an external synthesizerSynthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
or sound module
Sound module
A sound module is an electronic musical instrument without a human-playable interface such as a keyboard, for example. Sound modules have to be "played" using an externally connected device...
. (Thus it produces no sound on its own.) It is fully compatible with General MIDI
General MIDI
General MIDI or GM is a standardized specification for music synthesizers that respond to MIDI messages. GM was developed by the MIDI Manufacturers Association and the Japan MIDI Standards Committee and first published in 1991...
, General MIDI Level 2, and Roland's own GS MIDI implementation. It has both MIDI in and out ports, and can store up to 128 patches.
Popular Opinion
The overall opinion of the Roland AX-7 is pretty consistent. Several reviewers have said that the AX-7 excels in Features, like the D-beam and volume knob. It also has good scores in Reliability and Sounds, even though it has no voices of its own programmed onto the keytar. However, some said that it lacks in Ease of Use and Customer Support. Some said that the user’s manual is too confusing for more lighthearted synth users, and the Customer Support knows almost nothing about the product. Nearly every review on one site agrees with that, but the overall review, out of 10, is a 9.2.On another site the users all agree that it is a valuable keytar; they all gave it 4-5 out of 5 stars and thought that the AX-7 was an excellent keytar.
Famous Roland AX-7 Musicians
- Herbie HancockHerbie HancockHerbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet," Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound...
- Vadim Pruzhanov of the extreme power metalPower metalPower metal is a style of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. The term refers to two different but related styles: the first pioneered and largely practiced in North America with a harder sound similar to speed metal, and a...
band DragonForceDragonForceDragonForce are an English power metal band from London. Formed in 1999, the group is known for its long and fast guitar solos, fantasy-based lyrics, and electronic sounds in their music to add to their retro video game-influenced sound. Guitarists Herman Li and Sam Totman are the only two...
. - Henrik KlingenbergHenrik KlingenbergHenrik "Henkka" Klingenberg is a keyboardist and singer. He joined the Finnish power metal band Sonata Arctica in late 2002 and currently resides in Kemi, Finland, when not on tour....
of the power metal band Sonata ArcticaSonata ArcticaSonata Arctica are a Finnish power metal band from the town of Kemi, originally assembled in 1995. Their later works contain several elements typical of progressive metal.....
. (Now an AX-SynthRoland AX-SynthThe Roland AX-Synth is a keytar that is manufactured by Roland Corporation, and was released in late August 2009. This modernized instrument builds on the features of its predecessor, the Roland AX-7. The most notable change is the addition of an internal synthesizer...
) - Victoria AsherVictoria AsherVictoria Jane Asher , is known to Cobra Starship fans as Vicky-T, and can be seen in some of the music videos produced by the band, which she is the keytarist for. She is the daughter of producer/manager/musician Peter Asher of the hit band Peter & Gordon, who were part of the British Invasion...
of the band Cobra StarshipCobra StarshipCobra Starship is an American synthpop band created by former Midtown bassist and lead vocalist Gabe Saporta in 2003 in New York City, New York...
. - Christopher Bowes of the Pirate Metal band AlestormAlestormAlestorm is a folk metal band from Perth, Scotland. Their music is characterized by a pirate theme, and as a result have been dubbed a "Pirate metal" band at a popular heavy metal related website....
. - Robert LammRobert LammRobert William Lamm is an American keyboardist, singer and songwriter who came to fame as a founding member of the pop rock band Chicago...
of the rock band Chicago (band)Chicago (band)Chicago is an American rock band formed in 1967 in Chicago, Illinois. The self-described "rock and roll band with horns" began as a politically charged, sometimes experimental, rock band and later moved to a predominantly softer sound, becoming famous for producing a number of hit ballads. They had...
. - Donald FagenDonald FagenDonald Jay Fagen is an American musician and songwriter, best known as the co-founder, lead singer, and the principal songwriter of the rock band Steely Dan ....
of the rock band Steely DanSteely DanSteely Dan is an American rock band; its core members are Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. The band's popularity peaked in the late 1970s, with the release of seven albums blending elements of jazz, rock, funk, R&B, and pop...
. He also won a Grammy awardGrammy AwardA Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
. - Adam WakemanAdam WakemanAdam Wakeman is the current keyboardist for Ozzy Osbourne's band and also keyboardist for Black Sabbath...
, a keytarist for Ozzy Ozbourne - Beresford Romeo, from Soul II SoulSoul II SoulSoul II Soul are a British group that was created in London in 1988. They are best known for their 1989 UK chart-topper and U.S. Top 5 hit, "Back to Life ".-Career:...
- Chick CoreaChick CoreaArmando Anthony "Chick" Corea is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, and composer.Many of his compositions are considered jazz standards. As a member of Miles Davis' band in the 1960s, he participated in the birth of the electric jazz fusion movement. In the 1970s he formed Return to Forever...
- Chris MarionChris MarionChris Marion is an American musician best known as a member of Little River Band and for his contribution to the gospel music industry....
, from Little River BandLittle River BandLittle River Band is an Australian rock band, formed in Melbourne in early 1975.The group chose the name after passing a road sign leading to the Victorian township of Little River, near Geelong, on the way to a performance. Little River Band enjoyed sustained commercial success in not only... - Daisuke AsakuraDaisuke Asakurais a male Japanese pop artist.His childhood consisted of electronic organ lessons and the expectations to follow the family trade of plumbing.Asakura began his career with landing a job at Yamaha right after high school. While under Yamaha, Asakura worked on the EOS synthesizer; he was also...
, a Japanese pop artist - David A. Stewart, a BRIT award winning artistArtistAn artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
- David BrittonDavid BrittonDavid Britton is a British author, artist, and publisher. In the 1970s he founded Weird Fantasy and Crucified Toad, a series of small press magazines of the speculative fiction and horror genres...
, founder of Weird FantasyWeird FantasyWeird Fantasy is a science fiction anthology comic that was part of the EC Comics line in the early 1950s. The companion comic for Weird Fantasy was Weird Science... - Didier MarouaniDidier MarouaniDidier Marouani is a French composer and musician. He is one of the pioneers in the Electronic music genre.Didier started his career as a pop singer and made his first album with Etienne Roda-Gil as lyricist, he's done concerts tour with Johnny Hallyday, Claude François and Joe Dassin...
, a FrenchFrench peopleThe French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
composerComposerA composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media... - En EschEn EschEn Esch, a.k.a. Klaus Schandelmaier, is a contemporary musician and has been a member of the bands KMFDM, Pigface, and Slick Idiot.-History:...
, from KFMDM and Slick IdiotSlick IdiotSlick Idiot is a German electronic and industrial band.- History :Slick Idiot was formed by former KMFDM members Günter Schulz and En Esch, following the 1999 breakup of KMFDM. Before taking on the name Slick Idiot, En Esch and Günter Schulz contributed a cover of Nine Inch Nails' "Terrible Lie" to... - Simon KvammSimon KvammSimon Kvamm , is a Danish-Faroese actor and singer.He is most well known as member of the Danish rock band Nephew, where he is the lead vocalist and keyboard player. The band has had several hits in Denmark such as Igen & Igen &, Superliga, En Wannabe Darth Vader and Movie Klip, which have won them...
, from the Danish band NephewNephewNephew is a son of one's sibling or sibling-in-law, and niece is a daughter of one's sibling or a sibling-in-law. Sons and daughters of siblings-in-law are also informally referred to as nephews and nieces respectively, even though there is no blood relation... - A.R.Rahman, Indian composer and academy award winner for Slumdog Millionaire